EDITORIAL: Williams must name new BISD board soon

By Enterprise editorial staff

Published 3:55 am, Sunday, April 6, 2014

Texas Education Agency commissioner Michael Williams didn't make a bold announcement during his visit to the Beaumont ISD last week, nor was he expected to. His goal was to meet with as many people as possible and gain information that can help him make a final decision. He promised to neither rush into a decision or wait too long.

That's reasonable, and in fact, any other approach to something this serious would be inappropriate. Williams also had to wait for the report on the BISD from the TEA staff before he did anything.

Ultimately, however, it's clear what must be done to heal this hurting district: Follow the recommendations of the TEA investigators to replace the board of trustees with a special board of managers - and clear out top administrators as well.

Nothing else can get the district out of the divisive and dysfunctional cycle it is mired in. Then, when new leadership is finally in place, those people must go one step further and remove all the employees and contractors who have been key actors in the BISD's turmoil in recent years. Without that important step, the new board would inevitably become bogged down in the same old problems that afflict the current board of trustees.

Face it, this job will be hard enough even with a clean slate. The new board of managers will be lobbied by various factions just as intensely as the current board was. The only way it can succeed is by focusing on the future, not the past.

The goal here should be a truly fresh start, and that can only happen with new faces all around. Let it begin.